Charles Sheeler's iconic 1927 photo "Criss-Crossed Conveyors" at Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Rouge Steel complex, and his 1940 Power series of paintings for Fortune Magazine captivated Mr. Ritchie. So much so that, because he lives near Dearborn, he began investigating and photographing Rouge (now AK) Steel. Other heavy industrial sites in the Detroit area (Great Lakes Steel on Zug Island in particular) have also become favorite haunts day and night. Works from those sites reminiscent of, and in tribute to Sheeler have earned their own separate series here.

Mr. Ritchie's locomotive detail photographs in his series Iron, Steel, and Steam were largely inspired by Sheeler's photograph "Wheels," which was a study for his painting "Rolling Power,"